Strategic Lead Highways Maintenance Streetworks & Inspection

Overview

In this strategic role, you lead and transform Manchester’s highways maintenance, streetworks and inspection functions to deliver safe, efficient, and community-centered services. You will shape long-term strategies, drive performance and continuous improvement, and align outcomes with neighbourhood priorities and council ambitions. You’ll work with elected members, partners and residents to redesign front-line services, enhancing accountability, safety and value for money. This is a high-impact leadership position at scale in a diverse city.

Pay / Benefits

• Up to 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years’ service
• Buy up to two extra weeks’ leave
• Up to 3 days’ volunteering leave
• 35-hour work week for full-time roles
• UK’s largest local government pension scheme
• Enhanced parental and carers leave

Responsibilities

• Oversee operational performance and service delivery across highways maintenance, streetworks and inspection
• Manage revenue and capital budgets and resources
• Lead workforce development and organisational change
• Direct Highway maintenance operations via the Direct Labour Organisation
• Coordinate streetworks, compliance and enforcement
• Oversee statutory highway inspection functions
• Uphold health, safety and regulatory compliance
• Drive service transformation and continuous improvement programmes
• Engage stakeholders including elected members, residents, utilities, contractors and partners

Key requirements

• Experience leading large-scale service transformation in complex, high-profile environments
• Strong leadership in highways, infrastructure, engineering, construction or similar settings
• Proven track record managing substantial budgets and operational teams
• Commitment to health and safety leadership in high-risk operations
• Excellent partnership, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Credibility to work with senior leaders, regulators and external partners
• Passion for improving neighbourhood outcomes through responsive, trusted services

• leadership
• stakeholder engagement
• communication
• highways maintenance operations
• direct labour organisation (DLO) management
• statutory highway inspection

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